Dave Zirin on Rachel Maddow Show: Lame Duck Laws

The Nation's Dave Zirin joins Rachel Maddow to discuss potential abuses when government agencies are given carte blanche.

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November 12, 2008

Nation contributor Dave Zirin joined Rachel Maddow during a segment of her show entitled “Lame Duck Watch” on Tuesday. The segment addressed Bush’s last-ditch efforts to push through more than 90 new federal regulations, one of which would expand the spying power of law enforcement officials. “The Justice Department proposed a regulation that would allow state and local law enforcement agencies to collect intelligence on individuals and organizations even if the information is unrelated to any criminal matter,” Maddow reported. According to the Washington Independent, she continued, George W. Bush is “keen on the idea.” After the report, Dave Zirin recounted his experiences with Maryland police, who infiltrated an anti-death penalty group to which he belonged and labeled it a “terrorist” group.